(MOFA) - On 23 April 2020, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to queries about Viet Nam’s reaction to China’s release of the so-called “standard names” for 80 geographical features in the East Sea, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Spokesperson Ngo Toan Thang stated:

As firmly stated on various occasions, Viet Nam has ample historical evidence and legal basis to affirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands and the Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands in accordance with international law, and its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the maritime zones in the East Sea (South China Sea) as established in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Viet Nam does not recognize and resolutely opposes all activities that violate its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Islands and the Truong Sa Islands, and its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime zones. Such activities are, thus, invalid.